Bengaluru: Desperately trying to keep its nose above the negative publicity caused by the massive flooding in Bengaluru this week, the BJP Saturday put up a brave face by holding the ‘Jana Spandana’ programme celebrating three years of the party’s rule in the state.
The massive programme was held at Doddaballapura in Bengaluru Rural district, away from the heart of Bengaluru.
The BJP is also trying to show that it still holds sway in rural areas despite all the negative publicity it got, first due to the boorish behaviour of some of its MLAs, then the delay in acting against a senior Lingayat seer who was charged with a POSCO case and later the floods. And this show of strength comes just eight months ahead of the Assembly elections.
According to Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai, two lakh people from various parts of the state participated in the event in which Union Minister for Woman and Child Welfare Smriti Irani was also a guest.
Besides Bommai, former CM and BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa, party’s state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, and ministers in the government attended the function.
The event caused massive traffic snarls on the airport road as Doddaballapura lies 20-odd km ahead of the airport.
The celebration was supposed to be held on July 28 when Bommai completed one year as Chief Minister. However, due to the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettar in Dakshina Kannada district on July 26, the government decided not to postpone the celebrations.
Nettar was hacked to death, allegedly by a group of Muslim youth, on the very day when the BJP government completed three years in office. The incident triggered massive outrage from BJP workers and various right-wing organisations compelling the government to defer the celebrations.
